Today we leave the beautiful province of Nova Scotia!
On the day of our last update, July 3, we scaled a mountain for the last few miles, which was tough for all of us but worth it for the view at the campsite! Grace,earned the nickname of “mountain goat” as she powered up! The rest of the group was not far behind and all felt very accomplished (and exhausted)!
4th of July! We began the holiday with a ride that also ended with a few miles of steep climbing, but again, the view at the campsite was incredible! In following the American tradition of cooking out on this day, we bought hot dogs and marshmallows to roast on the fire. The wood was damp and after many efforts, we had almost given up, but Serena saved the day by surprising us all with her fire magic!
July 5th was our first really long ride, 50 miles! We started with a downhill, went through rolling hills, and again had a long, steep climb to our campsite. Lia became a “mountain goat” as well! The group persevered and was in great spirits by the end. The 6th was another long one, which we began by scaling the mountain that was our descent from the day before. Luckily, everyone was well rested and fed, with Ella again demonstrating her culinary skills with Pesto Pasta, and we ended the day with some well-deserved ice cream!
July 7th was our rest day. We woke up to a hot, beautiful day, perfect for the beach! We rode into town and bought food to cook breakfast for dinner, and Mike patiently made pancake after pancake over a whisper light, even getting up early the next morning to use the leftover batter for breakfast! We cannot count how many times a day we say, “What would we do without Mike??”.
The ride on the 8th was easy, compared to the previous rides, and after a day to rest our legs. We rode through the town of Chester, and Kat was Leader of the Day! Mahone Bay is a beautiful town, and Chloe suggested taking time to walk around and explore, which everyone appreciated. We biked into Liverpool on the 9th and ended the day with great bonding time by the fire!
Our ride on the 9th went smoothly, with the usual hills that the group has become so good at conquering! The end of the day was great, ending with dinner in Cadonia and camping in Kejimkujik National Park, which is absolutely beautiful with a great view of the water! Towards the end of our ride on the 10th we stopped to have lunch in Annapolis Royal and discovered Fort Anne, where we explored the grounds, read about the history, and played Frisbee in courtyard. The group had such a great time!
Soon we will be boarding the ferry back to New Brunswick. We have been so impressed by the hospitality and generosity of the people of Nova Scotia, who are always quick to offer us food, water, advice and encouragement. We will truly miss this lovely area of Canada!
